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TEXAS
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
There is a series of reproduction Texas Department of Public Safety -
Highway Patrol badges making the auction sites and badge shows these days.
They can display different ranks.
This badge is easily detected if you know what to look for. First, the
badge carries a Blackinton hallmark. From what I have been able to tell,
this badge is an import and the hallmark is a fake. It is not well done
and without a detailed hallmark. The pin on the badge is thin and sub-standard
when matched up against an issue DPS badge. It is also shorter than the
issue pin attachment. Perhaps the most telling detail of all is... the
badge does not have the very rounded appearance of the department issue
DPS badges. The reproduction series is not completely flat, but the roundness
is much less pronounced than the standard department issue uniform badges.
As if that isn't enough, you need to also look closely at the leaves in
the wreath. Although Texas has had their badges made by many different
makers over the years, I must note there is some slight difference in
the different manufacturers badges, but not as much as is shown in the
reproduction. The wreath in the reproduction series is weak and not nearly
as will done as the standard issue badges. Look closely at any wreath
that looks weak or overly plated.
To help you detect the differences, I am posting a photo of a reproduction
and a photo of an issue badge. The TROOPER badge is a reproduction. The
LIEUTENANT badge is "department issue." You can clearly see
the difference in the wreath detail and the kind of leaves used.
The Texas DPS reproduction badges are worth around $10. That is probably
double what it cost to make them, while the department issue badges can
bring as much as $225, especially the Halton hallmarked issues. Look closely
at any Texas DPS badge.
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